Recreational marijuana may be back on the front burner in Plymouth

Frank Mand fmand@wickedlocal.com @frankmandOCM

Monday

Jun 25, 2018 at 6:00 AM

Is it a groundswell of support or a tempest in a teapot?

PLYMOUTH – Is it a groundswell of support or a tempest in a teapot? Have residents been denied their rights, or are opponents asking for a second bite at the apple? Will recreational marijuana soon be available or will residents have a chance to just say no, again?

For the past several months selectmen’s meetings have had one constant, voices in opposition to recreational marijuana.

Taking every opportunity available opponents of pot shops have spoken out against what they see are the evils of recreational marijuana and pleaded with selectmen to place a referendum on the ballot that could ban recreational marijuana sales.

This was happening as the town moved forward to establish legal recreational marijuana sales facilities.

MMM, which operates a medical marijuana dispensary in the Plymouth Industrial Park, has received the necessary permits (including a Host Agreement Letter) save one – a state license.

Four Daughters has received most of its local permits but – after objections and commentary from several residents earlier this year – the Board of Selectmen voted to table their request for a Host Agreement Letter (a necessary element in order to get final approval from the state.)

At the same time opposition leader Christopher Fava has funded the establishment of a website, DrugFreePlymouth.com, and a similarly name Facebook page.

Is the “no pot shops” campaign a bona fide movement, or the death rattle of a passionate but meager opposition?

Fava’s website and Facebook page have had little traffic.

As of Thursday the corresponding Facebook page had a total of 14 “likes.” The website – a WordPress blog design – has received just two brief comments.

As of Thursday the website was also featuring an online petition which, when submitted, would ask selectmen to place a referendum on the 2018 Annual Spring Town Election. That election was over a month ago.

Still, at least one member of the Board of Selectmen supports placing a referendum question on the ballot, at some point in time.

Selectman Tony Provenzano used the new business section of the agenda last Tuesday night to note his desire to see the entire board “take a position” on the recreational marijuana issue, and asked the town manager to look into the legal ramifications of a potential ballot question.

No matter what happens you can expect a fight.

Ashley Shaw, a town meeting representative and member of the town’s Advisory & Finance Committee, who was one of the loudest voices urging the board not to take the referendum route last year, says she has not changed her mind.

For Shaw, the referendum question has “been asked and answered.”

“Townspeople from both sides gathered at the old town hall at several Board of Selectmen meetings," she said. "In the end, the selectmen decided that the will of the people was known and that the majority of Plymouth had already spoken in favor of the retail sale of marijuana; they voted against a referendum ballot question.”

The effort to start this process over again, Shaw said, was simply “undemocratic.”

Provenzano acknowledges the board’s earlier vote, but refers to it as the board “denying the people the opportunity to vote on this issue.”

Provenzano adds that since that original vote the Board has added a new member (Betty Cavacco) and said that one of those on the board at the time, John Mahoney, initially expressed reluctance to allow any vote until the state had more time to iron out the details on local control.

Provenzano also argues that while Town Meeting adopted zoning regulation specific to marijuana sales, that was a necessary step to prevent recreational pot shops from being established in any commercial zone in the town.

“It did not constitute approval of marijuana sales in Plymouth,” Provenzano said.

“Only the voters of the town can ban such sales in Plymouth,” Provenzano said. “I, for one, want to hear from all the people of Plymouth, not just the loudest voices in the community."

Steven Striar, a Plymouth resident who acknowledges that he has an interest in the Four Daughter’s recreational marijuana facility, says that instead of what he calls the loudest voices Provenzano is acting at the behest of “a few random comments.”

“Citizens should have the right to petition their government to enact or annul laws, regulations, taxes, etc.,” Striar said. “The rub here, however, is that citizens have not petitioned the selectmen to do anything.

“The Board of Selectmen, or at least some of its members, are acting on their own initiative and conflating a few random comments made during the public comment portion of meetings as a petition.

“To me, that's a problem. There are a number of people in this town, including myself, that take positions for or against many initiatives the town pursues. Not once did the BOS suggest a referendum be placed on the ballot to determine the will of the people based solely on random comments at their meetings. Nor should they have. So what is difference this time?”

Striar says it’s time for the Board of Selectmen to let this issue go.

“Respect the will of the majority as expressed through their vote in 2016 as well as the subsequent Town Meeting actions that enacted zoning and general bylaws and do their job,” Striar said. “Develop an application process and licensing policy for all marijuana establishments. Then issue them.”